He’ll be back (sorry we had to). After much buzz, hype, rumor and then a mini-meltdown after revelations surfaced that he fathered a child with his housekeeper, Arnie is looking both to re-start his acting career and get back in the good graces of the public. With that in mind, he’s made a pretty bold choice, teaming with “I Saw The Devil” and “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” director Kim Ji-woon for the gritty genre flick “The Last Stand.” And he’ll have a couple of years to spit shine his image before facing the press again.
Deadline reveals that the Lionsgate has slated the movie for January 18, 2013 release, an interesting move considering that the month is a cinematic dead zone, but on the flip side, the frame can prove to be a boon for movies not look for awards glory. Not only that, it will be the Martin Luther King Jr holiday weekend as well. Originally developed as a vehicle for Liam Neeson, the project has a script by first-time writer Andrew Knauer and veteran Jeffrey Nachmanoff (”Traitor”), and follows a disgraced LAPD cop in a new job in a small town who is trying to stop a drug-cartel leader who has just busted out of prison and is trying to make it across the border. And the villain role looks like it will definitely be a colorful one as he apparently arrives in style in a souped-up car that travels at 200 mph with a hostage and gang members in tow.
It actually sounds like a great, nervy little action flick with just enough of a change in tone to keep things interesting for Arnie whose screen presence was reduced to parody in “The Expendables.” Whether or not the 63 year old former muscleman and ex-Governor still has chops and skills to deliver the action goods we’ll wait and see, but if Arnie can bring back the brawn, with Kim Ji-Woon adding his own unique flair, this should be pretty damn good.